The Dark Knight, out on DVD ($29 or $35) and Blu-ray ($36 or $65) Tuesday, is one of the most anticipated titles of the year. Director Christopher Nolan invited USA TODAY to his home office, where he edited the film, to explain some of his favorite scenes.

The fierce Santa Ana winds driving the raging wildfires of Southern California for four days are forecast to weaken on Wednesday, giving exhausted firefighters better conditions for battling the 16 fires that have driven nearly a million people from their homes.

A sit-down with Simpson Homer Simpson isn't much of a reader. Besides Jugs N' Ammo and Blue Pants Monthly, he's not too fond of the written word. Still, he was willing to give USA TODAY's Scott Bowles the exclusive print interview for The Simpsons Movie, out Friday.

For the first time in home video's nearly 30-year history, sales and rentals slipped in 2005 as slowing growth in DVDs couldn't overcome falling prices and a dying VHS market. Studios are looking to the next generation of video discs, rolling out at the Consumer Electronics Show, to jump-start sales.

OK, fewer people went to the theaters this year. Actually, a lot fewer. Individual ticket sales fell by about 89 million this year compared with last, a 6% drop, says Nielsen EDI. So in case you missed something at the multiplex, USA TODAY's movie crew offers the highlights and low points of the year in film.

Forget the season of giving. In Hollywood, this is the season of getting. Sure, many of the movies that are considered Academy Award contenders haven't made it to your local multiplex yet. But as far as Tinseltown is concerned, the Oscar gold grab is on. To help make sense of the upcoming awards frenzy, USA TODAYraises a few questions and answers surrounding the Oscars.

After weeks of jockeying in critics' circles and smaller film awards, the field is set for the Academy Awards, to be handed out Feb. 27. As expected, it's a close race in many categories, with only one film, The Aviator, garnering 11 nominations, the only double-digit nominee. Small films such as Sideways and Hotel Rwanda will challenge heavyweight studio entries such as Million Dollar Baby and Ray in several categories. But front-runners have emerged. USA TODAY film writers Scott Bowles, Anthony Breznican and Susan Wloszczyna take a look at the Oscar derby and offer their tip sheets on the winners.